Birthday Night
by touche1
Summary: A post 4x11 Drive fic, that follows how Deeks spends his birthday evening. A little bit of Neric with just a hint of Densi.


"Hey Eric, how bad is it that none of us remembered Deeks' birthday?" Nell asked, as she helped Eric shut down the system for the night. They had just finished having a drink in the bullpen and everyone was getting ready to leave.

"Pretty bad!" Eric looked at her, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Although, to be honest, I didn't even know it was his birthday. I'm not really good at dates."

"Well, I am... and I remember putting in his birthday along with everyone else's in my calendar. Just haven't looked at it in a while. Plus, it was a crazy day, coming in early after Hetty's call and still getting over the holiday mood..."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, its not your fault. None of us remembered." Eric tried to soothe Nell, patting her hand gently. "Not even Kensi."

"You think that would have hurt him more? That even his partner didn't remember? I mean, would you be upset if I forgot your birthday?" Nell looked up at Eric, then hastily added, "not that we are partners."

"Well, you're the closest thing to a partner that I've ever had" Eric gave her a lopsided smile. "And, yeah, maybe I'd be a teeny bit upset if you forgot my birthday. Not that you ever would!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, partner" Nell smiled and gave Eric a playful punch on his shoulder.

"Hey, so I have an idea... why don't we ask Deeks if he wants to go out for drinks?" Eric looked at Nell closely, trying to see if she recognized this for what it was - an attempt to spend more time with her without actually asking her out.

"Umm... yeah, sounds like a plan. That would cheer him up. I don't think he had anything planned anyway." Nell hoped she didn't sound too enthusiastic, but she avoided looking at Eric as she replied.

"Great," said Eric, a big smile spreading across his face. "I'll go catch him before he leaves."

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"Here's to another year of chasing down bad guys and having fun while doing it" Deeks raised his beer and smiled at the tech operator and analyst sitting across from him. He had insisted on getting the first round, assuring them that there would be plenty more and they could treat him to lots of beer for the rest of the night.

"Here's to you Deeks." Eric raised his glass as well. "And we're sorry again for forgetting your birthday."

"Don't even worry about it guys. I'm sort of used to my birthday not being a big deal." Deeks had a smile on his face, but his eyes were unnaturally expressionless.

"But it is a big deal." Nell was watching Deeks closely. "You must have some good birthday memories. Come on, tell us what your best birthday was like."

Deeks was silent as he took a long sip from his bottle. Eric and Nell could almost see the memories flashing in his eyes. Maybe it was the fact that he had had a tough day or just because birthdays tended to make him nostalgic, but Deeks decided that tonight was not the night to blow everything off with a joke. He sighed and looked up at the two techs sitting in front of him.

"Well, my birthdays when I was a kid were pretty much the same. My mom used to get me some chocolates from money she would save up for weeks. I would hide them under my bed, mostly so my dad wouldn't know, and eat them slowly to make them last for days. There was an ill-fated attempt to get me a cake once, but my dad flipped when he saw that money that he could use for his alcohol had been used for a cake for me. That was the first time he beat my mom so badly that she had to go to the emergency room."

Eric and Nell were silent, having no idea how to react to a story like this. They realised that Deeks was not really looking for a response; he was lost in his childhood years, taking another long swig of his beer.

"Then, as I got older, I found myself with people who didn't really care about birthdays, let alone remember anyone's birthday to celebrate it. They were more concerned with staying out of jail and avoiding cops. Even so, whenever I saw some kid celebrate his birthday at a carnival or a theme party at a restaurant, I couldn't stop myself from looking on enviously.

Then came law school, police academy, LAPD... the mandatory wishes from colleagues after your face was put up on the precinct notice board with "Happy Birthday" next to it. None of that really meant anything. And as I started spending more and more time undercover, the concept of a fixed birthday every year became almost laughable."

Nell had never heard Deeks sound so serious about anything. She could see that for all his humour and constant jokes, he had had a difficult life, the kind that none of them could even begin to comprehend. She pictured a teenaged Marty standing forlornly in front of a restaurant watching some rich kid have a lavish birthday party and her eyes became moist.

Deeks finished up his drink with one final sip and Eric immediately got up to got the next round for them all. He got back to the table and watched a change in Deeks' posture as he shook himself out of his reverie. The detective closed his eyes and when he opened them again, Eric could see a little bit of the familiar spark in them again.

"I learned early on that I should stop having any expectations from birthdays." Deeks continued. "I realised that if I expected anything, I would just get disappointed. I guess that attitude stuck with me. So, having everyone forget today was really not a big deal. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that Hetty remembered and cared enough to have that round of drinks in the office."

"But we all care about you Deeks, we really do..." began Nell.

"Hey, its okay." Deeks interrupted her. "You don't have to, Nell. I know that I'm still the outsider in this little group and probably will always be. I have accepted it and I'm comfortable in my role. I'm the joker, the punching bag, the screw up who will never be good enough, no matter how many terrorists I shoot or cases I help solve.

Don't get me wrong, I know that you guys trust me by now, and god knows I really appreciate it. It feels good to be able to rely completely on someone and be relied on by them. In spite of all the ribbing and hard time Sam and Callen give me, I know that they'll be there to back me up in a heartbeat when I need them. And when I look at the work that we do everyday, birthdays are so irrelevant that its silly to get worked up because your colleagues forgot yours."

"And Kensi?" Eric asked with raised eyebrows."You're really not mad at her either?"

"You kidding me, having something like that to hold over her? I'm ecstatic! I'm anticipating at least a dozen guilt trips over the coming months to get what I want out of her. I can't wait to see what she will do to make up for the fact that she forgot my birthday. I'm anticipating some sort of a grand gesture within the next few days." Deeks was grinning.

"You're really cool with that? Even after she left our little bullpen drinks party halfway to go on her date?" Nell asked

"Wasn't a date!" Deeks shrugged

"She told you that?" Eric asked curiously

"No. But I'm a detective. I figured it out. Seriously, I sometimes think that we're so spoiled with our gadgets and technology that good old-fashioned grey-cells detective work is becoming a lost art."

"So how exactly did you figure that out Mr. Sherlock Holmes?" Eric asked

"Umm, grey cells would be Hercule Poirot actually..." Nell began, but stopped hastily when she saw the look on Eric's face. "But that is not the point. The point is, how did you figure that out?"

"First of all, she made the reservation under her own name. So it is someone who knows her as Kensi Blye. Which means it is someone who knows she is NCIS. It isn't some random guy or another one of her one night stands.

Secondly, _she _made the reservation, so she was taking the other person out." Deeks stopped to take a sip and chuckled. "To tell you the truth, at first I thought she was taking me out for my birthday. But when she said she wasn't, I think I figured it out. I'm pretty sure she's taking out Jaime. Her idea of thanking him for today probably. That's why the reservation was made so late, it was a reaction to what happened today."

Eric and Nell sipped their drinks silently, reflecting on how this made perfect sense. For all his kidding around, Deeks did have the instincts of a great detective and he knew his partner really well.

"That's some good detection, detective" Eric voiced both their thoughts. "Maybe that's why Hetty brought you into the team."

"Yeah, I wonder about that sometimes." Deeks paused again. "I have no idea why exactly Hetty brought me in. I mean, I have some experience with undercover work, but I'm nowhere close to the kind of training and skill level that Navy Seals and agents have. No wonder the others think that I bring down the team."

But Eric immediately shook his head. "Deeks, I've been with this team for a long time. I was here when it was just Callen and Sam and then when Kensi joined and was partnered with Renko for a while. Then though the few months that Dom was with us and then you. The one thing I can say for sure is that the team has actually been much more efficient since you have joined us. And everyone seems a lot more relaxed as well."

"That's true" continued Nell. "And I think apart from your exceptional undercover skills, it was your personality that really prompted Hetty to pursue you and get you in. In the skills department I think you complete the team as a hardcore deep undercover specialist. Plus you probably also do have the best pure detective skills of all. Your personality brings a much needed sense of joy to the team. But I think the most important part that you play in the team is to balance out Kensi."

"Couldn't agree with you more Nell" Eric chimed in. "I've always known Kensi to be very uptight and tightly wound. She would take things too seriously, keep her emotions bottled in to the point where we were worried she would spontaneously combust one day. But she's really opened up since you've become her partner Deeks. She's smiles much more now and she lets other people into her life. Well, mostly you, but she does make an effort to bond with others as well."

Deeks was staring down at the table through this entire conversation. It felt good to hear that he was needed by the team as well and his eyes were threatening to tear up a bit. Blinking furiously, he forced the tears back. He looked up and smiled at the earnest faces of Eric and Nell.

"Thanks guys! Its not like I need constant validation of my importance, but I have to admit, it feels good to be told that I contribute to the team, that too by the two smartest people I know."

Deeks raised his bottle as he said that and the other two dutifully clinked it before downing the rest of their drinks. Nell got up this time "Next round's on me. And just a cranberry juice for you Eric, you're driving me home." She gave a half smile that emphasised her dimple as she got up and walked away.

Deeks smiled to himself as he watched Eric stare at Nell walking all the way to the bar, her pixie haircut bobbing in the crowd. Eric turned back and was a little taken aback to see Deeks watching him intently. "What?" he said, a little too defensively.

"So what's going on with the two of you?" Deeks asked with a smirk.

"What? Me and Nell? Nothing! Nothing's going on. Really." Eric prayed that the lighting was low enough to not let Deeks see his cheeks become red.

"Come on dude, I thought we agreed that I was a good detective." Deeks was still smiling. "I saw the photos of you wearing those tights. And no self-respecting guy would be seen dead in them. Unless – (a) he lost a bet. Or (b) there was a girl involved that he was crazy about."

Eric was silent for a moment as he thought about what to say. "Its not like that Deeks. I… I don't know what it is. Its not like there's nothing between us, but then its not something that I can put a tag on. Its like this crazy, undefined, nebulous…. "

"…thing" finished Deeks and smiled to himself. "I know what you mean man. Just be careful that it doesn't consume you."

"So you think I should do something about it?"

"Hey, I'm not telling you to profess you undying love for her or make a grand declaration of intent. Just make sure that you do little things that lets her know you're there. Not just as a friend or colleague."

"Can't believe I'm taking advice about this from you Deeks."

"Hey, you're taking advice from a guy who has never been broken up with! I'd say that's a pretty good pedigree."

Before Eric could reply, Nell was back. Handing the drinks around she smiled brightly at Deeks. "So you and Hetty enjoyed the sunrise together today? That must have been something!"

"Nothing like a good sunrise to set your soul at peace. Especially when you see it from the ocean, sitting on a surf board, waiting for the next swell to come in. Am I right or am I right?" Deeks had a faraway look in his eyes as he imagined himself in his favourite spot in the world.

"Seriously man, the feeling of absolute calm that you get there is unmatched" Eric had a mirrored look on his face and the table was silent for a minute. Nell couldn't help giggling out loud as she watched two grown men staring into eternity lost in their shared personal heaven.

"What, you don't agree with us?" Deeks put on a mock horrified face as he took a sip from his third bottle.

"Don't know. I've never been on a surf board."

"What! That is pure blasphemy when you are sitting here with us. Eric, how can you let her get away with that?" Deeks had a pointed look on his face, his eyes screaming a thousand words at Eric.

"Um… yeah, this is not acceptable Nell. I guess we'll have to show you how its done, right? How about Saturday morning, 6 am? Three of us at the beach, and we'll give you surfing lessons!" Eric was now giving Deeks a look that said it all.

Deeks didn't need to be prompted to take the hint. With the smooth timing of a born operator he said, "I would have loved to, but I'm leaving on Friday evening to go to Vegas. Spend some quality birthday time with myself. You guys should go though. I won't expect her to be very good so quickly, but I'll make sure to join you next time just to see how well you've taught our little Nell."

Nell raised her eyebrows indignantly. "Little Nell? I'll have you know that I was the best netball player my school had seen in a decade. And I think we'll all agree that I'm way better co-ordinated than Eric. You're on Deeks! I'll make sure I learn how to surf on Saturday, even if I have to spend the whole day with Eric."

Eric did his best to keep a straight face as he looked at Deeks. "Yeah, we'll show you that geeks can be just as sporty as you super agents." His harshness of his voice a total contrast to the way his eyes were silently thanking Deeks.

"Well, we'll just see, won't we?" Deeks couldn't help grinning as he sat back in his chair, watching Nell and Eric make plans like excited children. Something attempted, something done, has earned a night's repose – he thought to himself as glanced at his watch. It was 11:59pm. Just then his cellphone beeped and he took it out, knowing who the message was from without even having to look.

'Happy birthday partner. Sorry I wasn't the first to wish you today, but I thought I would at least be the last. Just had the most awkward dinner of my life. Can't wait to tell you about it tomorrow. Will pick you up at seven.'

Deeks smiled into his bottle as he took one last satisfied swig. All was right with the world!

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Author's Note: That feels so much better! The ending to Drive really left me unsatisfied and I just wanted to write something that did not react vitriolically to it.


End file.
